Them, Me, and the Beer on Tap

As I sit in the bar looking at the people around me, I think to myself at what point do I go from a person who is hanging out with his friends while drinking at the bar during the week, to the guy who is sitting at the bar by himself drinking because he doesn't want to drink at home alone. As if somehow doing it at the bar makes it okay. I'm not alone, I'll be meeting up with friend as the night wears on, I am just the first person to arrive. A few years earlier I might have felt a little uncomfortable at the counter, drinking my IPA and watching the TV above, while crowded tables laughed and joked around me. Yet I notice this night, as I look to the other individuals sitting at the bar, that it's not as uncomfortable as I once thought. How long will it be till the bartenders know my name? How long till I'm one of the guys next to me, who feels perfectly comfortable in the barstool, eating the deep fried or grilled food, and knows exactly what the bar tab will come to at the end of the night. Will it be next week, next year, or maybe even tonight?